SEA Games set to be changed to U21 competition?

The Asean Football Federation (AFF) will propose to the South-East Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) that the 2017 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games Under-23 football competition be made an Under-21 tournament.

AFF secretary general Datuk Azzuddin Ahmad explained that the reason behind the call “is to have a continuation on youth development in the region”.

The AFF currently have competitions for the Under-17 and Under-19 age groups while the the AFF Suzuki Cup is for the seniors, but there are no Under-21 competitions.

“We feel there’s a void for the Under-21 age group and the SEA Games can help fill the gap. The SEA Games could also be a part of the Asean teams’ preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic qualifying campaign,” said Azzuddin.

The Olympic qualifiers will take place in 2019, and the players from the Under-21 teams in 2017 could play key roles in the qualifying campaign.